$13,196

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Directed by Steven Lippman, STAY ALL NIGHT is a kaleidoscopic documentary film on the profound bond between Judy Garland and her audience, the nature of memory, New York City and an era on the brink of social change, as seen through the prism of the legendary Judy at Carnegie Hall concert. This night was famously captured as a live recording and indelibly in the memories of those who were there.

At its emotional core, STAY ALL NIGHT is driven by the power of witness, specifically by new first-hand accounts from Judy at Carnegie audience members. Remarkably, no film exists of this 1961 concert - something unimaginable in our times – but this documentary embraces the power and mystery of the seemingly untouchable.

STAY ALL NIGHT will create something unique and tangible through a fantasia of intimate oral history, archival, found, photographic, newly-shot environmental and representational footage, and an enveloping ambient musical soundscape with echoes of the past and present. This is not a recreation of Garland's performance. The Carnegie witnesses are our emotional conduits to the monumental experience of what's described as “the
greatest night in show business history” and that April day and night where everything seemed possible.

An emotional and cinematic time tunnel, STAY ALL NIGHT will reflect on the perfect unplanned and unsurpassed combination of elements – artist, audience, music, concert hall, city, era – that still command and inspire our attention nearly 50 years later.

KICKSTARTER and HOW YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP

Making an independent documentary film takes a tremendous amount of patience, passion, vision and perseverance. Writing this to you now is another step towards progress. We are at a crucial and exciting phase, while still crossing "t"s on the larger picture - a process that takes time. And that means a certain amount of waiting.

Yet, we also have some special people waiting - our Carnegie witnesses.

So, Kickstarter. It's a platform to reach out to you in a respectful and communal way. With your generous participation here, we will be able to fund, and hasten the continuing process of interviewing "Carnegie" witnesses. Many of these extraordinary people have only recently come to our attention, adding to ones we've already spoken to. With your support, we will be able to give preferential focus to those where time is a priority. It won't cover everyone - we are being conservative here, and considerate that these are financial hard times for most. If we do exceed our goal, know that we will be able to expand our reach, some of which will require travel.

The road so far...

We've taken great care in assembling an extraordinary production team to guide the project, clearing rights, immersing ourselves in research, finding our Carnegie witnesses, and positioning to create the best film possible, all in honor of the world's greatest entertainer, the greatest night in show business, the city in which it all happened, and those who lived it all.

A lot of you have been following us over the past year and half, and have already been our cheerleaders and champions in so many ways, especially the extraordinary Garland fan community. We welcome that always. We feel the love, and are so thankful. Having you with us along this continuing journey has made it an easier ride. We're preserving, celebrating and making history together!

The voices you are hearing in our Kickstarter trailer...

From interviews we conducted with Frank Crapanzano, Jack Goldberg, Mildred Blitz, Betty Caplan and Andy Velez. They were all there, as we all wish we were, on April 23rd, 1961.

Applause and dialogue from...

Where else? The Judy at Carnegie Hall album!

Audio and album cover art used with kind permission of Capitol Records

Hey, where's the music in the trailer?

That would cost us money. And that would contradict our purpose for being here. If we could, we'd invite each and every one of you to privately see a lengthier full-dazzle version, and it's really dazzling, but we have to play by the rules. You see? Patience.

A good team is everything...

Filmmaking is a collaborative process, so I wanted to acknowledge and share with you the names of those who are dedicating their talent and time to this project, as a measure of things to come. Along with our witnesses, they continue to shape, support and inspire STAY ALL NIGHT every step of the way - Mary Wharton, Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, Jaimie Mayer Phinney, co-writer Ain Gordon, editor David Teague, composer Joe Henry, producer Karen Bernstein, witness researcher Martha Wade Steketee, the film's champion Sarah "Rumer" Joyce, and John Fricke, our (and the world's) greatest Garland historian.

Support

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Pledge $10 or more
About $10

Be part of it and know your support will help us preserve history. Everyone is acknowledged. Your name will appear on a STAY ALL NIGHT donors list, published on our Facebook page. (Anonymous donors will remain so.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Everything offered above plus: Be a part of continuing Judy Garland history! Add your own unique voice to the virtual Carnegie audience and the "Stay All Night" project. Submit your own 3 minute video or 500 word essay expressing your personal thoughts about the Judy at Carnegie album. All videos and essays will be compiled as part of the "special features" section of the DVD/Blu-Ray and/or on a dedicated specially-created page on the "Stay All Night" website.
Kindly note: video content guidelines will apply.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Everything offered above plus: ADDED BY POPULAR REQUEST Courtesy of Carnegie witness Mike VanFossen, we're thrilled to offer a single exclusive hi-quality limited edition postcard reproduced from never-before published B&W photographs from Judy's performance at the Chicago Opera House, May 6th, 1961 - part of the same tour that included the Carnegie performance. These amazing photos were taken by Mr. VanFossen from the 7th row and offer an exciting you-are-there perspective of Judy onstage. A full set of these postcards are offered at the next level. Thank you to Mike VanFossen for his generosity in letting us reproduce these photos in support of "Stay All Night."

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

Everything offered above plus:
Courtesy of Carnegie witness Mike VanFossen, we're thrilled to offer an exclusive limited edition postcard set of never-before published B&W photographs from Judy's performance at the Chicago Opera House, May 6th, 1961 - part of the same tour that included the Carnegie performance. These amazing photos were taken by Mr. VanFossen from the 7th row and offer an exciting you-are-there perspective of Judy onstage. Thank you to Mike VanFossen for his generosity in letting us reproduce these photos in support of "Stay All Night."

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

Everything offered above plus: A NYC adventure! You and a guest will spend the day with director Steve Lippman and one (or more) of our Carnegie witnesses, and experience the town while reminiscing about all things NYC and Judy Garland. We'll even tour the Carnegie Hall archives together, share some laughs, give you the first-person inside scoop on the making of the film, ruminate over coffee, drinks, and a couple of meals (on us.) (1) night hotel, double occupancy included for out of area supporters. Airfare not included.